Tuck and the Evil Flowers: The Battle for Water

Many people wonder how the takin became Bhutans national animal. Most people will tell you that its simply because it's a unique animal and it associates with Druk Yuls (Bhutan) history. The takin, which is an ox-like mammal, is believed to have been created from a head of a goat and a body of a cow. But of course this is just a myth. Very few people know exactly how the takin became the national animal. Therefore, I have chosen to tell you, dear readers, the real story. Long, long ago in the kingdom of Bhutan, evil flowers took over the water resources, leaving all the animals and humans thirsty and unable to grow crops. It was the hottest summer to ever be recorded, and everyone longed for a sip of cold, refreshing water. The flowers mafia, the Blue Claws, was a group made from the evilest flowers in Bhutan. The Blue Claws settled their evil troops around the lake, feeding only themselves with the cool water and letting the other animals and plants look at them with thirsty eyes. The evil flowers leader was an atrocious blue poppy named Narcissa. No animal had enough courage to stand up and fight Narcissa. Although she was a small flower, much smaller than all the other flowers, her surplus evil personality was all it took to scare the other plants and animals away. She grew up with her parents and two younger brothers. Narcissa was perfectly happy with her life, except for when her parents just wouldn't let her go on a shopping trip to the neighboring city, Paro. She also wished that her younger brothers, Ugyen and Ugen would stop following and mimicking her. But one day it all ended when a human girl reached her hand slowly, and closed her fingers around her smaller siblings, and took them away.

Soon after, a takin found her damaged home and ate her Ai (mother) and Apa (father) right in front of her! Narcissa was devastated; she made a vow to revenge her familys death, and to cause everyone grief and pain so they would understand how she felt. She did not care who was innocent and who was not; she just wanted to hurt them badly. Not a single living or nonliving thing knew about her life story, and she wanted to keep it that way. On the third day of the Blue Claws siege on the lake, which was the main water resource in Thimphu, the king sent his best warriors to defeat the flowers and hopefully get some water. But those best soldiers were either eaten, poisoned, or strangled to death by the Blue Claws most dangerous trio: the poisonous Aconitum, the Dog-Strangling Vine, and by a mysterious flesh eating flower. Meanwhile, things were getting worse- the small water holes dried up One day, the sky was clear without a speck of clouds and a sensation that something important is going to happen tingled in the air. Of course, no one noticed it, except for the wise takin, Tuck. To everyone else, Tuck seemed unaffected by the terrible draught. Yes, Tuck was very tired and thirsty but he didnt want to show anyone, not even the small twigs on the ground. Tuck was a mystery to most animals. There was a rumor that he came from a faraway land, and that he had no family in Bhutan. It was true. He lost his parents in a great disaster, an earthquake. He had an older brother named Jessie, but after their parents accident, Jessie set out to travel the world, leaving Tuck for himself. Tucks age was another dark, unknown secret. It was said, He was old enough to be wise, but young enough to be playful and understanding. Tuck did not have any close friends. He was never surrounded by a close group of animals, or invited to parties. Although no animal showed any interest in him being their friend, except Miles the red panda, which was the closest animal to which Tuck could call a friend, Tuck still cared about the other animals.

Many other female takins fancied Tuck, but he made it clear from the beginning that he was not interested, as he said, I dont believe in this marriage thing, so you all should just go find a better takin, rather than wasting your time getting your hopes on something you will never have. Tucks speech made many of the female takins furious; he was the top gossip topic for the rest of the week. But no one could keep being mad and him for long, since he was always nice to everyone. As several animals noticed, Tuck was addicted to chili, cheese, and Ema Datsi, which is chili and cheese mixed together. There was a reason why he loved those things. Tuck grew up in farm that produced both chili and cheese, and eating Ema Datsi reminded him of his family. Much like Narcissa, Tuck was an enigma and he didnt want anyone to know about his past, fearing that people will feel sorry for him and underestimate him. Finally, after the drought had lasted for what that seemed like centuries, all animals gathered under the old Oak tree to find a solution. We have to find a solution, and fast, said mother duck, covering her young ducklings with her wings. Even the humans are starting to get thirsty, said the clouded leopard. Lets make a vote for a leader who can come up with a solution, Miles said. We choose the tiger since he is strong and fearless as fire, squeaked the mice. And I choose the dragon, said the turtle in low voice, because he won in the last battle and because he looks great on the flag. Didnt you hear? He left the country years ago, said the black necked crane smugly. Thung Thung Kar Mon (black necked crane), pay your respect to the elderly! You are being a bad example for my babies, said mother duck. I say we choose Tuck the takin, the red panda said, trying to break the tension. Immediately all eyes were on Tuck. I...Im not a good leader, he mumbled softly as the dead leaves falling from the trees in the autumn. Weve seen how nice you are, we know you are strong, and everybody likes you, so of course you will be a great leader! the youngest mouse said.

We will give you a few moments to consider this, said the clouded leopard. Should I be a leader? Its something I always wanted to do, but I never had the opportunity to do it. By doing this I can prove Ai and Apa that I am brave enough, and that they didn't die for nothing. But what if I fail? Everyone would laugh at me, and people would tell their young ones about a takin who failed to fight against flowers. I don't know what I should do. Probably not doing this would be the best idea, but still Im their last and only hope. I guess Ill just have to choose... Okay, Ive got an idea, Tuck said. All the animals cheered and clustered together in a circle so no evil-spy-flower would hear the plan. After a few moments of whispering, the circle opened, and Tuck, who was standing in the middle now said in a more of a matter of fact voice, So that's the plan, and then he added, emphasizing each phrase, be at the main lake at dusk, and make sure no ones late. And so it was that all animals came to the main lake at dusk, partly because they all wanted the flowers gone, and partly because they feared Tuck and what he might do to them if they didnt appear. When the sun was exactly above the old tree, all animals took a step or two forward. They emerged out into the open, where no trees would help them hide. As the animals approached, the flowers did the same. White daphne flowers carried Narcissa on a bed of freshly cut grass, with small hyacinth flowers interwoven in. She was dressed in a traditional white kira and a blue belt, which blended perfectly with her already blue petals (the kira is a large piece of woven cloth that is wrapped around the body just like the Indian sari). When Narcissa was placed on the ground, all the flowers stood straight waiting for further instruction from their mighty leader. Although soft, nervous mumbling started on the animal's side, their leader, Tuck, kept a poker face.

Tuck was also dressed quite fancy, with a goh and a kera around his waist (a goh is a robe-like dress that is quite long, and a kera is a belt). Both leaders were armed, although Tucks rough dozom (dagger) was much more visible than the Narcissas delicate silver knife. He turned around slightly so he could face the red panda. Miles was assigned to make the plan work, and if it didn't work, all animals and humans would have to face terrible fates. Suddenly, the tension increased, and after saying goodbye to their loved ones, everyone took their places. You could see, even on the flowers side. Narcissa then started to count, Chi, ni, sum- The ground shook, the kind of shaking you feel when an angry herd of cows runs from one place to another. Then out of nowhere, a large group of humans dashed toward the flowers, animals, and the big, almost-dry lake. All animals ran for safety, some high on the trees, others behind large rocks. Unfortunately, the evil flowers didnt have such luck; they just froze, with terrified looks on their faces. Narcissa was the only who didnt lose her cool, but by the time the rest of the flowers came back to their senses, it was too late to escape. Humans were now running like mad towards the lake, craving to drink from the frigid, refreshing water. Some cupped their hands and drank rather politely, but other just buried their faces in the cool water, making weird sipping sounds and soaking their clothes entirely with the water. As for the flowers, most were crushed by mens feet. Women and small girls picked the others to celebrate the wonderful occasion, and the rest of the evil flowers were eaten by animals. In the worst case, a furious mother duck jumped and stomped on the evil flowers, yelling words she usually would never let her babies hear. Slowly, humans and animals came back to their senses. Then the leader of the human village scanned the crowd of animals and asked, Who is responsible for this? Immediately all the animals froze, because no one wanted surrender Tuck, after

all, he was their savior not a criminal. After more moments of awkward, uncomfortable silence, the villages leader added in a much softer tone, Are you going to tell me who is the brilliant person, or rather animal who led this attack? When the animals realized he was not mad at them, but in fact grateful, they all looked at Tuck, who blushed and covered his face with a long strand of his fur. The humans praised Tuck, and to honor him they carried them all the way from their little village to the kings palace. Upon arriving at the palace, the king welcomed them and insisted on making a feast for them. All the animals relaxed, but Tuck felt very uncomfortable from all the attention he got. In the end of the huge feast, the king stood up, waiting for everyone to notice him and stop talking. Ladies, gentlemen, and our brave heroes, in a turn of events we were saved by our fellow animals, and it is my wish to make one of those brave animals Bhutans national animal. Everyone was quiet for a second, but then all animals started fighting for this honor. In the end, it was decided that Tuck would get the honor to be Bhutans national animal. And after a lot of convincing, he also agreed. The people of Bhutan kept their promise, and the takin is still their national animal. No evil flower ever dared to return to Bhutan, and everybody was perfectly happy with that arrangement. As for Narcissa, she just disappeared. Some said they saw her get run over or eaten by an angry animal. But others say they saw her slowly crawling towards the woods, looking for a safe place, in which she can wait patiently for her next opportunity to take over Bhutan. There are so many possible explanations for Narcissas death or disappearance, but of course, no one knows the truth. After a couple of years, Tuck got over his aversion of marriage, and married a nice female takin named Mae. They settled together near the village, on the outskirts of the forest, to raise their young takins and to keep watch for any trouble. And so this story has been told from that day, reminding everyone about how the takin became Bhutans national animal, and reminding everyone how to be

believe in themselves and not to judge anyone by their physical appearance, because even the nicest looking flowers can have evil in them.